Moran
by littlemissbreanne
Summary: The League sends a Detective to Piltover to help the infamous Sheriff Caitlyn solve the mystery of who's murdering members of the League. It doesn't take long before Caitlyn realizes how well they work together, and how attracted she is to him. This throws Jayce to the side, creating an epic love triangle while they all race against the clock to save the ones they hold most dear.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys! I know I haven't updated Forbidden in awhile (if you're a newcomer to my works, go and check it out! It's totally awesome! Garen &Kat are my favorite pairing!), but I decided to work on something a little more different. It's been in my head, and now I wanna put it into yours. A lot of you PMed me and asked me about a Cait pairing, but the only problem with Cait is that there are so many people you could pair her with. Jayce, Darius, Draven, TW, etc. So, I decided to think outside the box a little and do something a little touchier. (: I think you'll find this story pleasing as well as different. As always, reviews and PM's are welcome, and if you haven't taken a look at Forbidden, go check it out!_

Chapter One:

The sun drifted behind the clouds as Caitlyn stared out the window of the town coffee shop. Her long brown hair swirled around her shoulders, almost tickling the skin of her arms. Her ocean blue eyes stared out into the street, watching, waiting. As always, her most serious face was painted on, her lips pursed, waiting for someone to step out of line. She brought her china mug of coffee (hazelnut, no sugar, extra cream) to her lips and took a sip. This was only her second cup today; she was on a roll. Normally, she had had much more by this time of day, but today was slow. She had sent Vi out on her afternoon patrol so she could relax. She didn't understand what quite was going on with her: the past few days, she didn't want to get out of bed in the morning or go to sleep at night. It was odd, and completely off kilter for her. She took another sip of coffee.

"Afternoon," came a friendly voice from behind her.

Startled, Caitlyn spun around, almost spilling coffee all over the man in the process. "Jayce, goodness, you scared me."

"Scaring the Sheriff of Piltover? I don't think that's ever been done before. May I?" Jayce gestured to the chair beside her. Caitlyn nodded. "What's bothering you, Caity?"

"What do you mean?" she asked and set her cup of coffee down.

Jayce eyes the coffee carefully. "It's almost two, and I've only seen you grab coffee twice. That's something to be alarmed about. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"Jayce," Caitlyn sighed and rolled her eyes away from him.

Since they decided seeing one another wasn't a good idea for the either of them, they had tried to avoid each other as much as possible. However, work brought them together often, and it was hard not to care about each other once they had begun. They had made the rule of not interfering with each other's personal lives, and even that was difficult.

"I know, I know," Jayce smiled and held up his hands. "All I'm saying is that I'm worried about you. Even Vi noticed that you're not yourself lately."

"It's a shock she noticed anything," Caitlyn mused.

"Caitlyn, tell me," Jayce pushed. He leaned forward and even looked around to make sure they were alone. They were, except for the waitress behind the bar.

"I don't know," she sighed and looked to him, her chin in her hand. "I just haven't been feeling like myself lately."

"That much is clear. Why don't we do something tonight, eh?" Jayce offered.

"Jayce –"

"No, no, no, don't say it. You know you want too. I've been working on something with Herm, and I think you'll really like it," he nodded and winked.

Caitlyn couldn't refuse his big brown eyes and his charming ways. He knew she was a sucker for their inventions (they truly did invent some marvelous things), and he knew she couldn't refuse. With a smile, she looked at him through her lashes, wondering why she ever decided to let him go. He looked back, and for a moment, they were lost in each other's eyes, like they had been not long before. Both were somewhere far from here, together, where life was peaceful, happy, and oblivious.

"So, I'll see you at seven?" he finally asked. Caitlyn watched his lips move, almost wanting to trace over them with her fingertips.

"Yes, I'll come over after my shift," she replied, still watching his lips.

"I'll come get you," he replied, slightly firm, and let his fingertips inch closer to hers. They were only millimeters away.

"That's not necessary," she replied, a twinkle in her eye.

"It is," he smiled and finally brushed his fingertips against hers. It sent shivers down her spine.

"But Vi will ask questions," Caitlyn pouted, sticking her bottom lip out just a tad.

Jayce leaned close to her, so only she could hear him. "Let her ask questions, Caity. I'll see you at seven."

* * *

Caitlyn strode around her room, in her undergarments, trying to figure out what to wear. She hadn't had this feeling in ages. She went through her closet, every drawer, every basket, to find something, anything to make her feel comfortable. But, everything was too non-chalet, too skimpy, too revealing. She huffed as she fell back on her king size bed and spread her arms out. She tilted her head to the side, picking apart her closet with her eyes, and still not coming up with any ideas.

There was a slight knock and the door to her room opened before she could sit up. Jayce came around the corner, and his cheeks turned a bright pink. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean –"

Caitlyn had grabbed the sheets and covered the main part of her body, one hand holding up the forest green sheets, and the other propping her up on her bed. Her legs cascaded down to the floor as she looked at Jayce with piercing eyes.

"You gave me a key, remember?" he asked sheepishly, with a grin.

"That's when you were allowed to see me like this," she grunted.

Jayce closed the door and walked over to the bed. He sat beside her, and brushed her long curls over her shoulder. Caitlyn shuddered at his cold touch: he must've just come inside. She decided she could no longer be mad at him, but she kept the sheets up, because she had shame. Much shame. Jayce traced the bottom of her chin and tilted up to him.

"When are we going to stop pretending, Caity?" he asked softly.

She didn't have an answer. All of a sudden, she felt like crying. But, she couldn't. She'd only ever cried in front of Jayce once, and that's when she thought she lost him forever on the Rift. It turned out that Darius had just knocked him out, but all the same, it was one of the reasons why she felt the need to end their relationship: her attachment to him was greater than anything she had ever experienced in her lifetime.

"I'm not pretending," she finally answered. "I still love you. I always will love you –"

"Then we know what we need to do," he said. His eyes were big, and he looked as if he had just discovered a new crystal.

He brushed his hand from her chin to her hand on the sheets, taking it into his, intertwining their fingers, and letting the sheets drop to her lap. He didn't once look at her body, just her face, and her eyes, which gleamed brightly. Caitlyn only smiled as he leaned closer: this was much overdue. Her eyes dropped half closed, and she could only see a blur of his outline as he drew closer.

Then a sharp knock came at the door.

"Shit," Caitlyn muttered. She jumped up to her vanity and grabbed a sheer purple robe off the back of the antique chair. Jayce watched her with his eyes as she threw it over her shoulders and went to open the door. When she did, she was face-to-face with Ezreal. Normally, she would be pleased to see him, but this wasn't a time for adventure stories. In fact, he looked flustered himself. "Ez –"

"Is Jayce with you?" he asked breathlessly.

Caitlyn looked behind her and could see Jayce already reaching for the pistol underneath the left side of her mattress. "Yes, why? What's going on, Ez?"

"I need to talk to you. It's urgent, it's about the League. Someone's trying to destroy it! They've already killed Vayne!"

Jayce stood. "They've killed Shauna Vayne?"

"Yes! I intercepted a message from Demacia a little over fifteen minutes ago! I spoke with Prince Jarvan and he told me to have you ring him!"

Caitlyn raced over to her calling device, and spoke "Jarvan." It began to quiver until she heard the Prince's voice on the other end. Ez snuck into the room and closed the door after getting a nod from Jayce that it was okay to do so.

"Caitlyn, is that you?" the Prince asked. He sounded panicked. Calm, but panicked.

"Yes, what is going on?" she demanded.

Jarvan sighed. "I don't know. Commander Blake informed me about twenty minutes ago that their patrol had found Shauna in the street, dead and bleeding. It looked like she put up quite a fight, but that doesn't lead us to who's done this. The interesting thing is that they left a message on her person saying that it thinks the League is twisted and all its participants, no matter what occupation or status they have, shall perish. I've sent out all the men I have to search Demacia, but I don't think we'll find them. Whoever did this was excellent at covering their tracks."

"Have you spoken with Garen?" she asked.

"Yes, and Katarina doesn't know any more than what we do. Talon is on a mission in Ionia, and I've sent word there as well. I don't know what to tell you. I've contacted the League, and they're sending someone to you to help investigate."

"Help? I don't need help," Caitlyn said indignantly. "Do they not believe I could handle this on my own?"

"I think their issue is the Jinx issue," Jarvan said in a hushed tone, like he was being closely watched.

"That's not my issue, that's Vi's," she growled. "I'll see what I can do. I'll be in touch."

"Thank you, Cait," Jarvan said.

He disconnected and Caitlyn looked at the two men in her bedroom. She pulled her robe tighter around her body and sighed. "Ezreal, I need you to speak with Vi. Tell her what's going on and go with her to Customs. We're going to need lots of boom. Jayce, stay with me. We're going to go to Herm, _like we planned_."

Ezreal nodded and exited the room. As soon as he was gone, Jayce stood up and took Caitlyn in his arms. For the first time since their departure, she felt safe. Even though she had a huge mystery on her hands and one of her allies was killed, nothing felt better right now than Jayce's rhythmic chest moving up and down. He stroked the back of her hair to the bottom of her back and back up again. It was comforting. She sighed, and looked up at him. Their eyes met and he put a finger on her lips.

"You're going to find whoever did this," he told her. "There's no one better in Valoran to do it than you. Come on, let's go see Herm."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! So I'm going to try to update once a day or every few days, depending on what time I have. And I promise, I will update Forbidden soon! I would appreciate direction on where to go with this story and also who you want involved. Since it's about the League in general, anyone could be killed or could be helpful. So, before I decided to kill too many people off, I want your opinions, haha. Okay, well I'll stop rambling!

Chapter Two:

"I'm supposed to meet with him at four," Caitlyn said dismissively as she walked through her office, Vi close on her tail.

"I'm sorry, but did you just get knocked on the head?" Vi exclaimed.

"Not to my knowledge."

"You don't just meet with some 'Detective' the League sent here. For God's sake, Caitlyn, it could be a trap and you're the next to be killed!"

Caitlyn quickly signed a warrant that was put in front of her and continued walking. "Vi, if I wanted your opinion, I would've asked for it."

Vi put her hand on Caitlyn's shoulder and turned her around. "Listen to me. Something isn't right here. I feel like you're being set-up."

Caitlyn sighed. "I understand your concern, but I assure you I have it under control. Now, can you do your rounds? See if anyone has heard anything."

Vi looked at her, her baby blue eyes narrowing. "What's going on between you and Jayce?"

"Vi, now is certainly not the time –"

"Ez told me he was at your house last night!"

Caitlyn stepped into her office and sat down behind the desk. Leave it to Vi to bring something so irrelevant up at such an important time. With a sigh, she looked at her partner. Vi raised her eyebrows and moved the door, only so it was slightly cracked. Vi leaned against the, arms crossed, staring across the room into Caitlyn's eyes.

"So, spill," she said.

With great reluctance, Caitlyn's lips parted. "He said he had an invention that he was working on with Herm, so I agreed to go see it. He insisted on picking me up, and when he did, I wasn't properly dressed. We talked for a little bit, and then Ezreal came and informed us of what happened. After Ezreal left, we went to Herm's like we had planned. That's it."

Vi tapped her fingers against her arm. "I don't think so. I think you still love him."

"Now is _not the time for this, Vi!_ " Caitlyn said firmly. "My private life is private for a reason."

"And I'm your best friend," Vi replied, looking slightly hurt. "And I need to know. It's important because I don't want you to get hurt again."

Caitlyn felt her face soften as she looked upon the woman in front of her. "Vi, I know what I'm doing. Besides, if something happens, you'll be there to protect me, right?"

"Of course! But that's about Jayce. I'm more worried about this Detective," Vi sighed. The look on her pale face was genuine concern. Even her cheeks scrunched up a bit. "Really - I don't think it's a good idea –"

"Sheriff?" came a voice from the side of the door. It pushed open a bit.

Caitlyn's eyes widened. In front of her stood a handsome man, rustled brown bangs down to his forehead, warm brown eyes, and a chiseled jaw. His skin was tan, and he was built, almost like an athlete would be. He stood a tad taller than Vi, which was about a half a foot taller than Caitlyn. The clothes he wore hung on his frame; a black shirt and black cargo pants with boots up to his knees. His lips were slightly parted as he looked upon Caitlyn, his brown eyes glistening.

Vi's mouth dropped.

"I'm Detective Alexander Moran," he said and held out his hand.

Caitlyn didn't break eye contact with him as their hands met. "Nice to meet you, Alexander."

"Please, just call me Alex," he said and smiled. "And you must be Vi."

"Damn right," Vi said and looked from Alex to Caitlyn. "I'll see you in a bit. I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on."

With that, Vi left the room and Caitlyn gestured for Alex to have a seat. He was not what she was expecting. Maybe a man in his older years, forty maybe, who looked like he would question every person until the culprit was found. Not a young man, who looked like he was just out of university. And the way he looked at her, his voice. She could hardly contain her surprise as he sat in front of her. There was a moment of silence while they stared at eachother.

"You're not what I expected."

Did those words really just come out of both their mouths? Caitlyn pressed her lips together and Alex took a deep breath. His arms went behind his head and he laced his fingers behind his neck. Caitlyn blinked twice and then stood up. She brushed down her purple dress and went over to the coffee pot muttering about how much she needed a cup of coffee. While she was over there, Alex raised a finger and asked for a cup as well. She looked at him, with her lips pursed, but poured the cup none-the-less, and handed it to him. She sat at her desk while he eagerly drank the coffee.

"You like coffee too, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," she said slowly and leaned back in her chair.

"So I wasn't what you were expecting?" he asked and resumed his stare at her.

"No, I thought you'd be older," she replied. Her lips were still pursed.

"I thought you would be too, with your reputation and the way the League makes you out to be," he admitted and took another drink of his coffee. "Good stuff – you make this yourself?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Detective – Alex, we need to get down to business, if you don't mind."

"What? You don't like talking about coffee?" he joked. "Okay, you're right. What questions do you have for me?"

Quite a few… "Why did they send you?"

"The League wants this job done right and I'm the candidate," he shrugged. "From what I know, all that's happened so far was Vayne was murdered." Alex set his cup on Caitlyn's desk and went over to the map of Valoran on the wall. Cautiously, but intrigued, Caitlyn followed. "I don't know where they're going to strike next, but assuming they stayed in Demacia, it would be a Champion from there. However, if they fled, they could've gone to Freljord or Noxus. I highly doubt they would've gone to Ionia, Bilgewater, or Yordle Island. And I don't think they would've came as far north as here, either. Which means, they needed a quick and easy route to get back to wherever they came from." Alex tapped the stubble on his chin as Caitlyn watched over his shoulder. "I would say they probably went south to the mountains."

Caitlyn nodded. It was logical and a good place to start. "The closest champion to the mountains is Amumu. He resides in the desert."

Alex turned to face her, dangerously close to her face. His brown eyes locked onto her blue ones. "Feel like taking a trip?"

Caitlyn didn't blink. "I don't think I have a choice."

"Oh c'mon," Alex swooped over and grabbed his cup of coffee. "We'll work well together, you'll see. Now c'mon, let's go!"

Jayce stood with his arms crossed as he looked at Vi. They were waiting in the lobby of the Sheriff's office, both impatient to see Caitlyn. While Vi had explained the situation to Jayce, she had also grilled him on his feelings for Caitlyn, which Jayce did and did not appreciate. But, when he asked what was going on, and Vi had enlightened him with details about this Detective Alexander Moran, something just did not feel right. Maybe it was his jealousy talking or maybe it was just gut instinct. Regardless, he had decided to wait around just for a peek, and to see this man for himself.

Vi examined her bright pink fingernails. "He's handsome, you know. Looks rich. I bet his Daddy works somewhere high up in the Tribunal."

Jayce leaned back against the wall. "What did Caitlyn think, or couldn't you tell?"

"She looked shocked," Vi shrugged. "Both of us were. We weren't expecting someone like that. Anyway, it seems weird. But, who knows?"

"Caitlyn has a good sense of right and wrong," Jayce said, almost like he was trying to convince himself of that.

Vi didn't say anything, but personally, she thought Caitlyn's judgement was a bit impaired as of late. The door to her office opened, and out stepped Alex with Caitlyn behind him. Jayce pushed himself off the wall, studying this man. He was handsome, built, and there was something mysterious about the way he looked forward and met Jayce's eyes. It was almost as if he was challenging him.

"Jayce," Caitlyn said flatly. "This is Detective Alexander Moran. He will be my partner until this case is solved. Alex, this is Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow. He is an inventor, and we'll be working closely with him and his associate, Professor Hermidinger."

"Pleasure," Alex extended his hand and Jayce shook it. The two never broke eye contact; suddenly, the room was filled with tension.

"It's all mine," Jayce replied. They squeezed their hands together in a sign of dominance, and then let go. _So, they're already on a nickname basis, huh..._ Jayce thought. "What are you up too, Caitlyn? Would you like to grab a bite? I'm sure Alex wouldn't mind."

"Actually, we were heading for Shurima," Caitlyn replied and placed her top hat on the hook by the entrance door. "We need to speak with Amumu. Vi, I need you to stay here in case anything happens. Jayce, please stay with her."

The two exchanged a glance, but Caitlyn's eyes told him not to ask questions and he respected that. With a nod, he leaned back against the wall again, arms crossed. He had a horrible feeling about sending her off with a man she just met, but he was beginning to think it was his jealous nature and protectiveness of her. Alex gave him a small smile.

"Right, hopefully this goes as planned. I'll see you two soon. Alex, if we may," Caitlyn said and led him out the door.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Vi huffed as soon as the door closed.

"It's as if something is telling me not to let her go," Jayce said softly. "And I don't think I'm jealous."

"Of course you're jealous, Jayce, it comes with the job," said Vi. However, there was no humor in her words. "I don't know, but I'm getting that same vibe. Maybe we should do something."

"No," Jayce replied firmly. "You don't want the wrath of this Alexander Moran, or of Caitlyn either. I am convinced that he is not what he seems though."

"Me too," Vi shook her head. "If anything happens, I'll never forgive myself."

"I won't either," Jayce met eyes with Vi and she sighed.

Both were at a loss for words as they stared at the door from where Alex and Caitlyn departed. It was as if a dark aura had overtaken the office and it wasn't about to let them out of its grasp any time soon.


	3. Chapter 3

_Good afternoon everyone! We're up to 100 views a day now, which is FANTASTIC! (: I love hearing from you as always, and appreciate reviews! That being said, I got my first one! (: Thanks SpiritSlayer! The more I do research on Valoran, the more I realize that you're right. We're going to include Cass, Azir, and Nasus. But I would still appreciate input on who to kill and who not too. We all have our favorite Champions! However, I can assure you that Garen, Jarvan, Lux, Kat, and Ashe aren't going anywhere. (They're in Forbidden, and we can't have them dying) Oh, and if you're new to this story, check out Forbidden! It's my other Fanfic, and probably my best one. (Over 200,000 views. WHOA.) Anyways, so! We're on our way to the ruins. Let's get to it!_

Chapter 3:

It wasn't long before Caitlyn and Alex reached the Shurima Ruins in the middle of the desert. On the way to the abandoned city, they hadn't spoken to one another much. Caitlyn knew some of the other Champions that had been summoned from this area, but she didn't know what exactly to expect. Amumu was on friendly terms, but everyone else was shaky. She walked up to the ruins with her rifle over her shoulder, just in case. Alex eyed the gun: it could do damage if she were to get mad and shoot it. Making note of that, and that he never wanted to be on her bad side, he followed her to the gates where a half human/half snake creature laid in the warm sunlight.

Startled, Alex look to Caitlyn. "What do we do about that?"

The creature looked at the two with big eyes. Caitlyn didn't blink. "I need to see Amumu. Is he here?"

Cass blinked. "Amumu? He's somewhere around here, but Nasus is available if you'd like to see him first."

"Yes," Caitlyn said immediately. Cass recognized Caitlyn from Summoner's Rift, so she trusted her enough to leave her alone as she slithered away from the pair.

"You know, I'm not sure if I'm freaked out that you know all these _things_ or people, or whatever you call them, or if it's actually kind-of cool," Alex said with a side glance in her direction.

"I wouldn't consider it 'cool', but it has its perks," Caitlyn shrugged. "I know most of them from the Fields of Justice."

Alex turned towards her. "What's that even like? Dying and then coming back to life?"

Caitlyn tilted her head a bit. "You'll have to find out sometime."

"No, I don't think so," Alex straightened himself up a bit. "I prefer solving crimes to being killed over and over again."

Caitlyn had to stiffen a laugh as Cass slithered up to them. Nasus appeared in front of her, and Alex took a step back to shield himself from the whirlwind of sand. Caitlyn lowered her rifle to the ground, setting it on the hot sand, and made it plain that she was not there to fight. Nasus looked from the rifle to the Sheriff then dismissed Cass with the back of his hand. As soon as she was gone, he lowered his staff and sat cross legged on the sand. He gestured for the two to sit opposite him. Caitlyn, knowing his customs, did so without hesitation. Alex, however, being trained in combat, was slower to follow.

"Why are you here, Sheriff?" Nasus asked. His voice was deep and dark. His eyes studied the two people in front of him, waiting for a response.

"Someone is attacking the Champions," Caitlyn replied slowly, eyeing Nasus carefully. Her blue eyes narrowed as she continued. "Shauna was killed yesterday in Demacia. We have reason to believe that whoever it was is hiding in the mountains."

"Hmmmm, such arrogance," Nasus' voice boomed. "I can assure you that no one has come here unexpectedly."

"Will you do us the favor of letting us know if anyone does?" Caitlyn asked.

"You will be the first to know," he agreed. "Have you considered the Darkin?"

Alex could see on Caitlyn's face that she was extremely taken aback by what Nasus had just said. "No. They wouldn't intermingle with human affairs in that severe of a way, would they? Aatrox fights in the Fields of Justice –"

"Only because he is forced," Nasus replied. "Caitlyn, you must use your mind to uncover every possible explanation. There are five Darkin left in our existence, and we only know of where three of them are. You must consider it a viable option." Caitlyn nodded. "I will send Azir to find what knowledge he can. If the threat is as severe as you say, we should know gather all the information we can."

"I agree," Caitlyn said.

Nasus rose from his seated position, and Caitlyn made it a point not to rise until he was standing. Alex watched the customs carefully. With a nod, Nasus disappeared into a whirlwind of sand. Caitlyn looked back to Alex, and led him away from the ruins and out of any earshot for fear he would say something stupid.

"The Darkin?" he asked with a low whistle.

"We need to find Aatrox," Caitlyn replied firmly. "If anyone knows anything about this, it would be him."

* * *

Jarvan paced around his throne room, hands behind his back and his eyes to the floor. Shauna had been murdered and now odd artifacts were turning up in the strangest places. Just moments ago, one of his citizens had brought him a leather book in which an odd figure appeared on the front. But, that hadn't been the only case. A few months back, Ezreal had stolen a stained glass window of the figure (they hadn't said anything because of his affiliation with the Kingdom and his eagerness to learn and explore), and now it seemed as if everywhere, there were objects inscribing this demonic figure. Vaguely, he remembered seeing something like it somewhere before, a long time ago. But, he couldn't pinpoint when or where.

"What's up, buddy?" Garen asked from behind Jarvan.

Jarvan turned to face his best friend. "I know that figure from somewhere, but I don't know where…"

Garen walked over to Jarvan's throne, where the book laid on the arm. Gently, he picked it up and ran his fingers over the golden embroidered figure. "It does look familiar. You said it's turning up all over Demacia?"

"Indeed," Jarvan nodded and walked over to his best friend. Both stared hard at the book.

"It looks like someone's trying to tell us something, and I don't think it's a good thing," Garen told the Prince.

"Do we have any books or any scrolls pertaining to this figure?" Jarvan asked.

"How would I know?" Garen smirked. "You'd have to look through your office. But, I think it's weird that all of a sudden, this figure randomly pops up in the strangest places. Like this book."

"Or the glass that Ezreal stole," Jarvan said as he turned toward his library. He shook his finger. "Remind me to get that back from him. Why do we let stuff like that slide, Garen?"

"Because we're obviously too nice, Jarvan!" Garen called after him. "It's time to come down hard and change the ways of Demacia!"

Of course, he was kidding. But, he followed Jarvan none-the-less. When he entered the library (aka Jarvan's office. In Garen's mind, his best friend was quite the scholar, but he would never tell him that), Jarvan was leafing through old Demacian texts dating back hundreds of years ago. Garen sat in the golden chair behind the desk, put his feet up, and opened the book with the figure on it. It was blank. Puzzled, Garen flipped through every page, but there were no words. There must've been some sort of mistake.

"Jarv?"

"Hmmm?"

"This book doesn't have anything written in it."

"What are you talking about?" Jarvan came to look over Garen's shoulder at the blank pages of the leather book. "That's odd."

"Wait. Wasn't the glass that Ezreal stole not gold?" Garen asked, his eyes opening wider.

"Yes…"

"Think about it. These objects that are turning up aren't typical Demacian items. The glass wasn't golden. It was colored. The book is leather and doesn't have writing inside of it. And both of those things are older than both of our ages combined twice, multiplied by two. What I'm saying is that maybe these artifacts, if that's what you want to call them, are from someone or something else and they were placed here for some reason," Garen explained.

Jarvan raised his eyebrows. "But who would've placed them here? And why? Why Demacia?"

Garen looked back down at the embroidered figure. "Maybe they did."


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey everyone! We left off at quite the cliffhanger! I was reading up on LOL lore because it's really quite interesting, and I decided to work off of bits and pieces of what most people overlook. Like Ez's kleptomania; he actually stole a piece of glass from Demacia that had The Darkin carved into it. I chose The Darkin because not a lot of people know about them or their backstory. So, I hope I can run with it. Also, I brought Garen and Jarvan back because this takes place maybe a year after Forbidden. So, there will be a lot more development of those characters as we see them throughout the story. One last thing I want to touch on – Alex's last name is pronounced MOORE-ANNE. Someone thought it was pronounced More-on, and I got a kick out of that. :p_

Caitlyn couldn't help but admire Alex. The way he moved about her study was almost hypnotizing; putting notes on the walls and places pictures and scribbles on the floor. She stood in the doorway for some time before he noticed her. He looked up at her, his brown eyes almost sparkling with delight. Caitlyn couldn't help but let her eyes droop down onto his, and then got on her knees and crawled over to where his mess of evidence was.

"The Darkin history is bleak, but I think we can make some sense of it," he told her and pointed towards a scratch of paper. Caitlyn picked it up and Alex scooted over to sit beside her. "Basically, they're all gone but five. Runeterra used to be full of them, and they were warriors. But, something happened, and we don't know what because this happened hundreds of years ago, but whatever happened only left five of them. Only three of them have shown themselves since that happened, and one of them is Aatrox, but unfortunately, without asking him, we don't have any idea where the other four are or even who they are. But, they've appeared all throughout history, everywhere in Valoran."

Caitlyn studied his notes. It was true: There were sightings all over the country, from city officials to just travelers. The most recent was in Freljord, when Aatrox appeared to King Tryndomere in the midst of slaughtering his village. Suddenly, her eyes looked up. No… The most recent was when Ezreal bragged about the piece of glass he had stolen from Demacia. She had smacked him for it, but now she was mildly regretting it. Her head slowly turned towards Alex, her blue eyes wide and locked onto his brown ones.

"What?" he asked.

"About two months ago, Ezreal stole a stained glass window from the Castle in Demacia-"

"Who is Ezreal?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's an explorer who lives here," Caitlyn explained. "Anyway, he bragged about it for quite awhile until I went to investigate. I completely overlooked it, Alex, but the figure depicted on it does bear a striking resemblance to Aatrox."

Alex stroked the stubble on his chin. "I think we should take a look at that piece of glass."

"Mind if I come with you?" asked a voice from behind them.

Caitlyn turned around to see Jayce in the doorway, eyeing the situation cautiously. For the first time in her life, Caitlyn felt awkwardness between the two men on either side of her. She could tell there was something tense between them, and it had to be her. However, she didn't like it. Alex was her partner, not her friend, not her enemy. And her feelings for Jayce were… well, she kind-of loved Jayce. She wasn't sure how or why, but she did, and that was that. Granted, she had been pushing him to the side lately and … _Why am I thinking any of this? I have a case to work on!_

"Of course," Caitlyn nodded as she got to her feet. Alex rose too and placed a sheet of paper on Caitlyn's desk.

"Let's go then," Jayce said and eyes Alex as he took a step towards him. Alex stopped, noting Jayce's size compared to his. "I wouldn't want to hold you up from closing this case."

"Great idea," Alex agreed and looked to Caitlyn.

She nodded and the three proceeded to find Ezreal.

* * *

Jarvan raced into his inventor's office at once, slamming the door open and looking for the first person in sight. A slightly older man named Traverse looked up from this research and took off his glasses as Jarvan ran about the room. He stood, curiously looking at his King, wondering what in the world could cause him to behave in such a way. Behind him, he saw Commander Crownguard with narrowed eyes. Both of them were up to something.

"Can I help you, sir?" Traverse asked.

Jarvan's eyes finally laid on him. "I need to phone Piltover on the double!"

"Right away sir, all you had to do was ask," Traverse chuckled and made his way over to the phone like machine. He pushed a few buttons and stepped away. "All ready for you, sir."

There was an annoying buzzing coming from the wall in Caitlyn's hallway. She stopped halfway out the door, turned around, and strode over to it, leaving Alex and Jayce beside one another. They looked indirectly at other areas of the house and outside until they heard Caitlyn answer the ringing, her voice loud enough for them to hear.

"This is Caitlyn."

"Caitlyn, it's Jarvan. Garen and I–"

"Garen?" Caitlyn asked with a raised eyebrow.

Garen's eyes narrowed as Jarvan looked at him. "Yes, amazing isn't, it? Anyway, Garen and I were doing some poking around, and we believe we know where to start looking for who ever's responsible!"

"I'm one step ahead of you. We're on our way to see Ezreal about the piece of glass he stole," Caitlyn told him. She lowered her voice. "We believe it's the Darkin."

Jarvan smacked his forehead. "Of course! That makes sense! One of my citizens brought me a book with a figure on it. Now that I think about it, the figure looks like Aatrox! We think the Darkin was placing unusual artifacts in Demacia."

"Like a warning?" Caitlyn asked, her lips parted slightly as she grew increasingly in thought.

"Yes," Jarvan said slowly, finally understanding. "That's exactly it, Sheriff. He was warning us. But, why would he warn us if he knew it would lead back to him?"

"Darkin have dangerous abilities that let them control the minds of humans," Alex said from beside Caitlyn. She looked at him dangerously, finally realizing that he and Jayce had been listening in.

"Who is that?" Jarvan asked. He and Garen exchanged a glance.

" _Detective_ Alexander Moran," Caitlyn answered. "I'll explain that another day. We are on our way to see the piece of glass Ezreal stole some time ago. Hopefully, it'll lead us to some conclusion or at least point us in the right direction."

"Good idea. Caitlyn, maybe our minds would be more likely to solve this dilemma if you were here?" Jarvan asked. "It wouldn't hurt, especially since Demacia is where these weird things are turning up."

Caitlyn looked to Jayce, who's eyes pleaded for her to stay, yet they knew she had to go. "Yes, that would be a good idea, Jarvan. I'll head to Demacia as soon as we interrogate Ezreal."

"Very well. Bring that Detective friend of yours, too. I would very much like to meet him. Also, give the Professor and Jayce my sincere greetings. I miss them more than they could imagine," Jarvan said.

"I will. See you in about a days time," Caitlyn said and hung up the receiver. She spun around to face the two men, hands on her hips. Her blue eyes were like daggers into their souls as she looked from one to the other. "I am going to Demacia. Jayce, you are to remain here. I want you in charge, not Vi. Lately, she's hasn't been handling stress lately, especially with her Jinx situation."

"I can handle Jinx, Caity, it's you I'm worried about," Jayce replied and glanced at Alex, who glanced at her.

Caitlyn gave him a warm and reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Jayce. I promise. Alex, you're coming with me. Have you ever been to Demacia?"

"No…"

"Well, be prepared. They're the nicest people you will ever meet, but they won't hesitate to throw you to the dogs if you step out of line," she told him with an eyebrow raised. Alex raised his chin and pressed his lips together in understanding. "Now, let's go find Ezreal."

* * *

Alex admired the way Caitlyn's ass moved as they turned the alley down to where Ezreal's house was. He only watched it carefully, as to make sure Jayce didn't catch him looking. What was going on between those two? He wasn't going to lie: from the second he saw Caitlyn, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. And he had a way with women, normally getting what he wanted when he wanted it. But, with Caitlyn, it was a challenge. She loved to control, and she was good at it. She was assertive, and when her blue eyes looked at him, it sent shivers up and down his spine. He loved a chase, but he didn't come to Piltover to hook-up with the infamous Sheriff. Especially now that he noticed Jayce seemed to have had it out for him. But, he could understand why: if he had Caitlyn, he wouldn't be so keen on letting go either.

"Here we are," Caitlyn said and knocked on a brass metal door. All of the houses were carved into what seemed like sandstone, with windows poking out every so often. The buildings seemed sturdy, and he noticed that it was a steady temperature and there wasn't any wind. It was definitely the city of progress.

The brass door opened and a man in his twenties peeked his blonde head out. "Sheriff! What are you doing here?"

"I need to see the piece of glass you stole from Demacia."

"Well, technically, I didn't steal it –"

"Ezreal Dayton, I do not have time for this. Show me the damn piece of glass!" Caitlyn barked.

"Jeeze," Ezreal said and stepped aside. Caitlyn pushed her way past him. Jayce allowed Alex to go first and then gave Ezreal a small smile as he closed the door behind them.

It didn't take long to find the explorer's room of treasures. There was everything in there, from The BloodThirster to the Stattik Shiv. Caitlyn's eyes wandered all over the artifacts Ezreal had collected in awe. She wanted to ask him how he had come across all of these finds, but she knew he would tell her he just had a knack for it. Which he most certainly did.

"Over here," Ezreal said and led them over to a desk by the window. They followed as he took the piece of glass from the desk and handed it to Caitlyn. "I thought it was odd for Demacia, so I took it. I picked up a few other things too that are similar." He picked up a statue about half a foot high of a being that looked Darkin. Alex's eyes narrowed. "What's the sudden interest? You've known I've had this for awhile."

"We believe the Darkin are behind Shauna's murder," Caitlyn murmured as she ran her fingers centrically over the glass. She tilted her head as she stared at the figure; it crouched down with its sword in front of it, blood dripping onto the green glass grass below it.

"May I?" Alex asked. Ezreal handed him the figure. "The carving is so intricate. You said you got this in Demacia?"

"Yes, out of an old shop. He wanted only wanted ten gold for it. I couldn't refuse," Ezreal shrugged.

Caitlyn looked at Jayce over her shoulder. "Do you remember seeing anything like this, anywhere?"

Jayce thought a moment. "Yes, right before Aatrox appears in Summoner's Rift, there is always an engraving of him behind the Nexus."

"Could this possibly be his way of coming into our world?" Alex asked and set the figure on the desk behind Ezreal.

Caitlyn nodded. "It's a good possibility. I would say we should bet on it. Ezreal, I'm taking this glass back to Demacia."

"But—"

"No but's. It may be dangerous. Besides, you're lucky the King didn't come down on you for it already," Caitlyn snarled in his direction. Ezreal looked down to the ground and kicked a loose stone off the floor. "Thank you for your help. We may need your assistance again soon."

"Will you tell Lux I love her?" Ezreal asked quietly.

"Of course," Caitlyn said and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Do not fear, no harm will come to you. Jayce will be here. I'll only be gone a little while."

With that, Caitlyn hugged the explorer and they three made their leave from the city district. Ezreal packed all of his belongings pertaining to the Darkin into a sack, which Alex now carried on his back. He urged them not to break them or dismember them in any way and to return them to him if they could no longer be of assistance, as they were some of the rarest finds he'd ever encountered. They promised and bid him farewell.

As soon as they were to the office, Caitlyn arranged a plane to take them to Demacia. She was slightly uneasy at leaving her city-state, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Jayce pulled her into the hallway around the corner so they were out of sight, and he gazed upon her, his eyes telling her everything that needed to be said. He was worried; so was she. But, she could tell he was even more worried about Alex.

"Jayce, I'll be fine," she assured him and smiled.

"I know, but there's something wrong about Alex. I can just tell," Jayce stressed.

"I can't leave him here in command or ask him to go to a place he's never been before with people he doesn't know," she explained and sighed. "Jayce, if it could be any other way…"

"I know," Jayce's hand took hers. For the first time in a long time, she felt odd holding his hand. She looked down then back up at him. "This may be out of line, but I love you."

"I know," she said, but she couldn't bring herself to say she loved him back. For some reason, maybe it was the stress of the case, she didn't know if she loved him. "I'll be back soon."

Jayce nodded and let go of her hand. She turned away from him, not feeling anything but happiness to leave the hallway. She felt contained, strained, and she just wanted to get on the road. Alex's brown eyes met her blue ones, and she suddenly felt a twinge in her upper abdomen. She hadn't felt that since she first met Jayce, all those years ago. That was when back when she was attracted to Jayce in every sense. _Oh no…_ she groaned to herself as she and Alex walked out of the station doors. This was going to be a very long trip.


End file.
